5 Best Meditation Techniques for Beginners
I get a lot of questions about how to meditate for beginners. If you're reading this, then that would mean you want to learn to meditate and you're taking a step into a mindfulness journey. And for that, I want to say congratulations!
You will find that establishing a routine that involves daily meditation can change your whole life for the better. If you have never tried it before, I've already written about how to create a meditation habit where I go deep into the benefits of meditation and on the differences between meditation and mindfulness.
When you are just starting out, it can be difficult to know what to do! Knowing the proper meditation techniques will really help you get started and see results. Even if it’s your first time, you will learn plenty of good meditation tips and tricks that will help you find simple ways to meditate.
This post will bring you an absolute round-up of the top meditation techniques that I like to recommend, especially those who have not tried any form of meditation or want to switch up their practice. I recommend you pick one and do it regularly for a few weeks.
Doing any of the meditation techniques for beginners below regularly can help you feel more relaxed and be at peace with yourself. Maybe you're dealing with anxiety or sleep problems, or you want to work on improving your focus. The great news is that meditation can help.
So, concretely, how do you meditate and how to start meditating when you’re a beginner? There are many different ways to meditate that we will explore together in this beginners’ guide to meditation. You will find it easy to meditate daily!
Table of Contents
1/ Counting Breaths
One of the best meditation for beginners to reduce anxiety, have better sleep
This is the most basic meditation technique for beginners! It is the easiest way to meditate and you can do it anywhere.
To do this, just count your breaths at the end of every exhale until you arrive at 10. Once you’re at 10, start over again.
As a beginner, you will still find this challenging as your mind is still not trained for it. But as you progress, you'll see how your mental concentration will improve and that you now have the power to eliminate negative thoughts because you are focusing on counting your breaths.
Counted breaths is also a great meditation technique for sleeping, so it will make a great part of your evening routine. If you're having sleep problems, being forceful about falling asleep might be counterproductive. If you meditate for sleep, there is nothing to force, there are no expectations. Rather, this meditation technique for beginners will make you settle down during bedtime and not get caught with your thoughts. Eventually, you'll fall asleep.
Breathwork Variant:
I cannot stress enough how proper breathwork is an important part of meditation. In case you missed it, I've written about counting breaths as one of the best breathing exercises to manage anxiety. It is also a form of meditation.
To start with counted breathing, start inhaling and count up to 5 in your mind. Exhale, counting to 7. Exhaling longer signals the brain to settle down, putting you into a relax mode to clear your thoughts. Practicing more this technique regularly allows you to increase your count.
2/ Mindfulness with Breathing
An meditation effective meditation technique for finding focus and releasing stress
Mindfulness with breathing involves paying close attention to your breath, observing your feelings, sensations, and thoughts without obsessing about them. Several studies have shown how mindfulness is highly beneficial in improving your focus. This helps you become less impulsive with your reactions.
If you feel like there's just too many distractions at work and you can't get things done, stop, take a break and begin meditating with a mindfulness meditation exercise. It is a good meditation technique to manage your emotions and stay calm while under pressure. Doing so has a positive impact on your creativity and productivity - and of course, it helps reduce burnout.
This is one of the easiest mindfulness meditation techniques for beginners: just focus on your breath and when the mind wanders, bring it back! The great thing is that you can do it everywhere, even while you're sitting in front of your desk or taking a walk. Fill your lungs with air and allow more oxygen to circulate so you can feel more calm and relaxed and ready to take on challenges.
3/ Loving Kindess or Metta Meditation for Beginners
A meditation for letting go of anger and frustration, increasing compassion and overall positive feelings, as well as solving personal conflict
While you may think meditation is mostly sitting in silence and working on your breathing techniques, loving kindness meditation is an active form in which you focus more on sending good thoughts and goodwill.
To start with Metta meditation, get into a comfortable seated posture. Be in tune with yourself - be present. For the first few minutes, pay attention to your breath first. Imagine someone you love and allow yourself to really feel this feeling. Then, think of someone you care about or you're grateful for and direct those good thoughts to them.
Since loving-kindness meditation is not only limited to people close to you and you love, you may also think about people you don't really appreciate to reduce resentment and release conflict.
Metta meditation is perfect for cultivating kindness and letting go of anger and resentment. After all, persistent feelings of anger and resentment can make you physically sick. If you want to leave it all behind and just invite positive energy from now on, start with loving-kindness.
4/ Mantra Meditation
The best meditation method for manifesting, gratitude, self-love
It's easy to disconnect from your place of happiness. But the good news is you have the power to reconnect and find peace within yourself and the perfect tool for that is a mantra. A mantra is a sentence that you repeat over and over again. It is rooted in the yoga tradition but you can also pick the mantra that suits your intention: A basic mantra I love is "let go".
To do mantra meditation, there are four basic steps to follow:
Identify your intention and choose the mantra that fits it
Be comfortable and keep in mind your intention
Get into proper posture and focus on your breathing first
Start repeating your mantra in your head, timing it with your breath
Mantra meditation is a helpful tool for manifesting your desires, which works by creating the right mindset to accomplish what you want. There is a mantra for each individual situation and your mantra is yours to choose!
5/ Body Scan Meditation
A meditation for pain management, grounding, reducing stress
This form of meditation focuses on every physical sensation in your body - or giving attention to every inch of your body. I love this mindfulness practice as it lets me be aware of myself and how I feel in my body relates to my emotional state. Body scan meditation is the best mindful meditation exercise to manage pain and stress.
Body scan generally involves getting into a comfortable position - lying down preferred. Focus on your breathing and then direct your attention to your feet. Observe the sensations. If you feel any discomfort, breathe into that sensation and visualize that discomfort leaving your body as you exhale. Then, move on to a different body part until you reach your head.
Regarding how long you should meditate, just remember that the best way to meditate, is the one that works for you. It is better to do it consistently for 5 minutes at a time rather than trying to do too much and never doing it again! Same for when to meditate: do it at a time that’s convenient for you.
Last questions: What should you think about during meditation? What to do during meditation? Nothing! Observe your thoughts but let them go and come back to your technique.
I hope you enjoyed doing these easy meditation exercises for beginners. Keep practicing, you will quickly find how to meditate easily.
If you're ready to take your practice to the next level you could consider a silent meditation retreat, otherwise, check out these easy mindful practices that are not meditation.